"The software onboard smartphones today is revolutionary. The ability to take pictures in low light, digitally zoom (or crop) without significant resolution loss, and capture moving objects without blur is in large part a function of software, not hardware. In fact many smartphone cameras are designed from the ground up based on software requirements."
But Panich believes that the value added by software is likely to slow in the future. The great achievements of the last five years cannot be matched going forward, at least not without a total reconfiguration of the smartphone camera, which includes the hardware.
“There are a lot of ideas being tested right now, but the industry has not picked a direction yet. But the industry understands that the next step is a total overhaul of the smartphone camera.”
Some of the ideas being tested are wide angle cameras, attachable camera pieces, pop up cameras, and array cameras. Each has its merits and demerits, and none has set itself apart from the pack so far.
